heat mat or ceramic lamp?

[xxcrystalxx]

hi there

before i purchase the equipment for my new bp.

im not sure if i should use a heat-mat or a ceramic heat lamp? what would you suggest?

[The Serpent Merchant]

What is the temperature of the room that the cage is in?

Are you aware that heat mats require a thermostat to regulate their temperature to safe levels, and a probed thermometer to monitor cage temperatures?

Heat mats only heat the surfaces of the cage they come in direct contact with. They do very little if anything for the air temperature in the cage. If the room the cage is in drops below 75 F a heat lamp will probably be necessary with or without a heat mat as well.

[xxcrystalxx]

What is the temperature of the room that the cage is in?

Are you aware that heat mats require a thermostat to regulate their temperature to safe levels, and a probed thermometer to monitor cage temperatures?

Heat mats only heat the surfaces of the cage they come in direct contact with. They do very little if anything for the air temperature in the cage. If the room the cage is in drops below 75 F a heat lamp will probably be necessary with or without a heat mat as well.

hi
sure i know what a thermostat/thermometer is.i own a chameleon.
my house is pretty warm.a normal day is around 21c/20c.in the winter my home drops to 18c.my chameleons basking spot is between 31c & 32c and i use a 40 watt spot bulb.so same temp as what a bp hot end should be
i use a dimming thermostat on my chams basking bulb so im all good with the understanding of them and i know that i need one.

thanks for asking and making sure i do know tho as many people assume others do when they dont xx

[The Serpent Merchant]

hi
sure i know what a thermostat/thermometer is.i own a chameleon.
my house is pretty warm.a normal day is around 21c/20c.in the winter my home drops to 18c.my chameleons basking spot is between 31c & 32c and i use a 40 watt spot bulb.so same temp as what a bp hot end should be
i use a dimming thermostat on my chams basking bulb so im all good with the understanding of them and i know that i need one.

thanks for asking and making sure i do know tho as many people assume others do when they dont xx

Yeah, I've seen too many people not know to just assume anymore. So disregarding the thermostat issue it rely comes down to this. A heat lamp is going to adversely effect humidity in the cage, and if you can get away without one you are better off. For your temperatures I would recommend using both. A thermostat controlled heat mat to create the 32 C hot side, and a low wattage ceramic heat emitter or infrared heat lamp centered on the cage to keep the cool side/ambient temp at 26.5 C. A simple plug in lamp dimmer should be sufficient to regulate the heat lamp.

I explain this setup in detail in this thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

[NH93]

I agree, both a regulated UTH and heat lamp appear to be required in your situation. For me, temperature is more important than humidity. Not that both aren't important, but if it comes down to it, I personally would risk drying out the vive with a heat bulb if it is needed to warm the ambient temperature. There are always ways to maintain humidity, but not as many to create heat. This includes things like the type of substrate you use (I recommend Cyprus mulch), having a humid hide with damp moss - this works wonders for shedding, I've found! - and more.

Best of luck!

[xxcrystalxx]

just incase you didnt know.im using a wooden vivarium so the heat will stay in better.
the room the viv will be in is susceptible to temperature swings so a dimmer switch to regulate the lamp is not going to work. If you set the lamp with the dimmer to heat the viv to 26c, when the room is 18, its a good bet if the room rises to 23 the viv will be 5 degrees warmer too. that means theres no cool end.
will the water bowl not prevent the air from becoming dry?